


A Proper Path

by orphan_account



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dragons, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2013-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 08:04:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/720749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every choice leads to an outcome but making a choice can be the hardest thing to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Proper Path

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a year or two ago. It has a sequel that is a WIP. :)

“Azrael, my boy how could you be so foolish?” she asked in disbelief, the exasperation in her voice evident.

“Nya, I don’t want to hear it right now. It’s not a good time,” the blond grunted, hissing in pain as wrapped the bloody stumps near his shoulder blades with some thick cloth. It stung terribly and thinking about it made him sick to his stomach. They would forever be a reminder of what he once had.

“You need to get these wounds properly cleaned or they will become infected, son.”

“I don’t have time for that. If you haven’t quite noticed yet, I’m a wanted man,” he said with a slight grin that was forced because of the pain wracking his body.

“Be quiet!” she growled. “Now is not the time for jokes. You must go now. This will be one of the first places they look for you.”

“Thank you, Nya. I appreciate you putting your neck on the line for me like this.”

“This is all I can do for you, Azrael. After you leave our clan, you are on your own. Just make sure to stick to the trees and take this for your wound,” she muttered as she thrust a bag into his arms. “You must clean them once you get the chance and don’t overexert yourself. The punishment has already taken its toll on you.”

“I’ll be careful so don’t worry,” he assured her as he leaned over to brush his lips against her cheek.

“Go out the back entrance now, Azrael!”

Kissing her cheek again, he mouthed goodbye and ran out the back with the bag in his hands. He had to stop momentarily because his back was throbbing. It had only been three days since the punishment and the wounds were nearly raw. Reaching the forest, he quickened his pace as he jumped into the trees. If he didn’t get away now, he wouldn’t stand a chance because unlike his former clan, he was stuck to the ground.

He found himself thinking back at the events just two days ago. Breaking out of the prison had been difficult but Azrael had always been clever. Many said too clever for his own good and it was part of the reason why he ended up the way he did. Leaving wasn’t the smartest decision but he would be damned if he was going to die there. He had somehow managed to slip away but it had exhausted him and after taking a tumble from one of the trees.

Azrael had run and run as fast as he was able too. He needed to put distance between himself and his clan. Riffling through the bag, he thanked Nya silently and knew she had done a lot for him. She had been the one to help break him out of prison and stall for them for him. It would give him a few hours or possibly a day ahead of those bastards that had put him here. Feeling dizzy, he kept going for as long as he could before making camp. He dreaded changing those wounds because then he would have to feel those stumps. Closing his eyes, he swallowed the lump in his throat and fell asleep.

~*~

Apollo preferred to live alone. He was strong enough to protect himself from threats and attacks. A falling-out with his family and a subsequent fight with his elder brother had led to him leaving the family for good. Nearly a century had passed and he was content to be free from their influence. His other brothers might’ve fallen prey but he had not and he wouldn’t ever fall prey to it again. Staying alone, far into the woods kept him cut off but he preferred it that way.

 

Sometimes there were demons that strayed far into his part of the forest and had to be taught a lesson. One morning, before the sun was even out, he encountered such a demon but before he could even react, the demon limped away quickly, hissing at the unmoving body sitting on the forest floor. Lifting a brow, he walked closer and kicked it less-then-gently. It groaned and when it rolled over he noticed the blood soaked cloth wrapped around his torso.

Crouching, he jerked backwards suddenly when the creature lashed out for his throat. He reacted quickly by pinning his arms to the ground and forcing him onto his back. The reaction was quick but it had been an accident on his part. The man gasped and then his eyes fluttered for a moment before his body became slack. Rolling him onto his side, he sliced through the bloody cloth and stared at the wounds.

The low level demon he had encountered hadn’t been the cause of this. A fight with him most likely exhausted the man and from the pattern of the wounds he could make an educated guess as to what was once there. It wasn’t his place to comment on such a thing though. Staring at the unconscious, bloody creature on the ground, he turned to walk away but a strange thing happened. He felt pity for him. He knew some things about his kind’s customs and for such a wound to appear, he must’ve done something unforgivable but that could be in the eye of the beholder.

His family had been notoriously judgmental. They were an old, traditional family who did not allow others to question them and when a member of the family did, they were banished or killed. He had been one of the lucky ones but apparently this one was not. “Damn it. I choose now to have a heart?” he asked himself, kicking the male lightly one last time as he crouched down beside him.

Once he realized he wasn’t awake, he sighed and picked up the male none-to-gently. He had to take care of those wounds or they would get infected. A part of him was tempted to just drop him back onto the ground and pretend he had never found him. However, the small part that felt like it related to this male was preventing him from doing so.

Entering his small dwelling, he dumped up onto the bed and then glanced down at the unconscious blonde on his bed. He supposed he would have to do something about those wounds because if not taken care of properly they could get infected and then the male could die.

“You must’ve really pissed off the wrong person,” he muttered as he started dressing the wounds.

The bloody stumps on his back were the last remaining parts of his wings and from the remaining scales on his back, it was easy to tell he was a dragon. They were often anti social creatures that stuck to their territory and rarely mingled with people outside of their own clan. It did depend on the clan but some were stricter and cut off than others.

He didn’t know much about their customs but knew that some still practiced the punishment of wing removal. They would eventually grow back but it was a long and painful process and the lack of wings was a danger for dragons. Outside of their human form, they were more vulnerable because without wings they could not fly and many dragons wouldn’t change into their full form because of a little thing called pride. Being without your wings was like being without your tail. It was a part of you and many would rather face death.

This one, apparently, had gotten away though he was only assuming because he had been passed out in the forest in such a vulnerable position. When he woke up, he figured he would lash out but he wasn’t scared. This dragon didn’t look that old while he was a couple of centuries old, so he assumed he would be able to handle himself. After wrapping his wounds, he stared down at the male and ran a hand through his hair.

He never thought he would be dealing with some injured, wingless dragon when he woke up this morning and a large part of him still regretted even bringing him in here. Apollo had spent the better part of his life avoiding creatures of all kind and this dragon was no exception to the rule. Glancing at him when he groaned, he sighed and reluctantly covered him with the blanket before heading back out. He had been in the process of gathering things to eat and now he was going to have to feed this annoyance sleeping in his bed as well as himself.

The sooner he brought him back to health, however, the sooner he would get out and he tried to look at it like that. After he came back from gathering food he didn’t see the dragon lying in his bed and set the food down slowly. Tensing, he figured he might be in for a fight and it would be fairly easy to subdue the annoyance that had formerly been sleeping in his bed. The only problem was that it was energy that he didn’t want to exert.

~*~

He woke up in a strange bed and grunted as he struggled to sit up. Glancing around, he remembered that he had been attacked by that damned demon and it was such a low level one at that! He had tried to fight the thing off but with him being so weak already it was difficult to fight back. If he had his full strength he would’ve been able to easily fight back. However, this was not the case and the last thing he remembered was being attacked. He had no idea where he was. Part of him had remembered a small house in the distance but that was the only thing he could recall. Was he inside it right now?

Tensing, he felt bandages wrapped around the upper half of his body and frowned. Whoever had brought him in here had wrapped his wounds but he was still tense. He didn’t like the fact that he was in some stranger’s home. It was dangerous and when he was like this he couldn’t exactly defend himself. Narrowing his eyes when he heard a noise, he could tell that the person was close but not completely at the door yet. Whoever it was most likely lived here.

The idea that someone had seen the bloody stumps also caused him to tense and feel angrier. It was a disgusting and embarrassing sight and no dragon would want to live after losing their wings but he refused to kill himself. Once he got better, he was going to kill those bastards and make them sorry that they tried to do this to him. They were going to pay for ripping off his wings.

His clan had been getting out of control for a long time and he was a part of a group that was trying to overthrow the elders and set in a new power. Their clan was the most backwards there was. They were cut off from other dragon clans and were set in their ways. He was trying to make things right but had gotten caught and he had refused to sell out everyone else. This had angered the elders and they thought ripping off his wings would get him to tell the truth but it hadn’t.

When he recovered he was going to go back to his home and he was going to take care of those elders. He was going to help his group’s cause and they were going to take them down. The only problem was he was a wanted dragon and they were probably still looking for him. He needed to recover quickly and then he’d think of something. Azrael had never been the one to think before doing something and that was partially the reason why he was in this position.

Tensing again when he heard the footsteps come closer, he jumped out of the bed and ignored the pain in his shoulders. This person might’ve helped him but he still needed to be on his guard. One never knew with strangers and if he couldn’t trust his own kind, how could he ever trust strangers?

~*~

He opened his mouth to speak the second he reentered his home because he wanted to explain to the injured dragon that he wasn’t a threat to him. However, before he could even get a word out, the male pounced on him but he was slow and he saw him coming. Grabbing him, he slammed him against the floor and a part of him felt a bit of regret at the action when a pained grunt slipped from the dragon’s lips but it was only a small part. The man had attacked him and he was going to defend himself regardless of his injuries.

“Stop struggling, damn it. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The dragon snarled at him and fought to get up but he was still weak and pinned to the floor easily. “Funny words from someone who is doing just that!”

“You attacked me in my own home. Did you expect me to just stand there and take it?” Apollo barked. “Now, listen to me you stubborn dragon. I am trying to help you. If I didn’t you wouldn’t even be here and I would’ve left your ass in the forest where I found it.”

Frowning, Azrael bit down on his bottom lip to prevent a sarcastic response from shooting out. Turning his head away, he nodded his head only slightly but the man seemed to get the message and got off him. Pushing himself up into a sitting position once he as no longer pinned to the ground, he hissed as he moved, his back ached even more.

“Due to your stupid actions, I probably reopened the wounds and I’m going to have to bandage them again.”

Azrael growled. “I can do it myself!”

“Like hell you can,” Apollo snapped. “Your bandaging job I saw when I first found you was terrible. You need my help but if you don’t want it then fine. I have no need to argue with a kid.”

“I am not a kid.”

“Compared to me you are. I doubt you’re even a century old!”

“I’m getting there,” Azrael grumbled and by “getting there” he meant he was a little over half a century old which made him a glorified teenager. Staring at the man’s hand extended towards him, he huffed and struggled to stand. Eventually he got there and hobbled back over to the bed, panting loudly. As he sat on the edge, he turned so his back was facing the man. This was his way of telling him he could bandage his wounds for him.

The thought of anyone seeing it made him sick to his stomach and he tensed as he felt hands on his back. He would just have to suck it up for now because he had to depend on this man.

Rolling his eyes at the dragon, he saw the small nod and started to unwind the bandage. Sighing as he gazed at it, he knew it was his fault but he wasn’t going to apologize. He still blamed the dragon because he had been the one to attack him after all. “Do you happen to have a name? I’m getting a little sick of calling you dragon in my head.”

“How did you…”

“Kid, it doesn’t take a genius to guess where you got those wounds from if you do a bit of thinking.”

He seemed to tense even more and stared blankly at the wall. “Azrael.”

“Doesn’t that mean death in your culture?”

“My father thought it was fitting I be named that after killing my mother,” he said wirily and regretted blurting that out. He was usually so private and blamed his wounds. They were making him act crazy.

“I am Apollo.”

“And you say my name is strange?” Azrael snorted, hissing when the demon seemed to get a bit rough when bandaging his wounds. “Must you be so rough?!”

“Don’t mock my name, then. You really don’t want to piss off the person helping you.”

“Then why help me in the first place?”

“You must’ve done something pretty bad to get such a wound. I have no interest in knowing the details because it is none of my business. If you want to tell me then go ahead but don’t feel obligated to.”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Fine by me,” he told him quietly and once he was done he pulled away and stood. “I assume you want something to eat and if you tell me no that’s a lie.”

Frowning, he went to say something and then his stomach growled. Huffing, he turned away and let Apollo walk off. In his short life he hadn’t interacted with many demons. They were known to be cruel but not all of them were and there were many kinds of demons. Apollo seemed to have an air of maturity surrounding him and he could tell he was telling him the truth when he said he was a couple centuries old.

“What is that?” Azrael asked cautiously when his nose caught whiff of the food.

“It’s soup and while I may not be the best cook, it’s something to eat so don’t be picky.”

“I’m not being picky!” he snapped and as he took the food he paused. “Did you help me out of pity?”

“Partially.”

Azrael winced.

“Pity isn’t the only reason.”

“What’s the other reason?”

“Like hell if I know. I did it on a whim. Most times I would walk right past you and leave you to die on the ground. I don’t know what made me grab you and allow you into my home but you should be grateful nonetheless and stop complaining.”

“I am not complaining!”

It was Apollo’s turn to snort. “You could’ve fooled me.”

Azrael scowled at him and started to eat his food.

He was grateful but that demon was annoying… and a bad cook to boot.

~*~

Azrael was fairly sure he was coming down with a fever later that night. It meant his wound had probably gotten infected to a certain extent. Muttering something to himself, he kicked the covers off him and brushed some of his sweat slicked hair out of his face. “Looks like you didn’t clean it out as well as you thought,” he muttered to the demon when he walked into the room.

“Apparently you didn’t do a good enough of a job. I’ve been doing a fine one.”

Giving him a look, Azrael rolled over and growled low in his throat as the pain started to get worse. When he felt a tap on his shoulder, he jumped but was still tempted to ignore it. “What?”

“Drink this. It should help fight the infection and take some of the pain away.”

Sitting up in bed, he eyed the cup and took it. Sniffing it, he flinched and wrinkled his nose. “It smells disgusting.”

“Anything that is supposed to help you usually has an unpleasant taste. Get used to it.”

Rolling his eyes, he reluctantly drank the concoction and once he was finished handed Apollo the cup. “Thank you but if I die from drinking that I take it back.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he said to him as he turned away and then paused for a moment. “I don’t like to pry but what do you plan on doing once you are out of here?”

“Why?” Azrael demanded to know.

“I imagine you aren’t in good standing from wherever you came from so I’m merely curious. If you don’t want to answer then just ignore the question.”

When he received no response, he had to let out a soft chuckle as he left to wash the cup. The dragon’s fever would go down with that and in a few days he would feel better but the wounds would take at least two to three weeks to heal. He would, however, always have ghost pain and the shame that came from those types of wounds. He would be lying if he wasn’t curious but he wasn’t going to press the dragon. In just a few short weeks he would be on his way and then he would be alone again.

He wanted to be back to his solitary life. It was easier to live for only himself but he wondered about that dragon and his earlier comment about his name. He had tense relations with his family and after his parents passed and his brother took over as the head of the family. Apollo knew his brother would jump at any chance to get at him. He was vengeful and despised him for leaving in the first place.

Sighing, he glanced out at the dragon that appeared as if he had fallen fast asleep in his bed. When he walked by he saw the dragon jerk awake and glance at him suspiciously before he walked into another room. Only then did he calm down and fall back to sleep.

~*~

Apollo found that the dragon wasn’t that bad. He was annoying but he attributed that to his age. One thing he noticed is that he seemed eager to get healed as fast as possible. He kept warning him was that he had to take it easy if he wanted to heal from those wounds. They were starting to heal and even though they would scar badly, they were still healing nicely.

“I don’t have the luxury of waiting. The longer I wait, the worse it will get back in my home.”

He hadn’t talked much about his home and Apollo hadn’t pressed for information but he had been here a few days now and that curiosity was still there. “I’m not trying to pry but if you ended up in this position in the first place don’t you think you should think things through before you rush in there without thinking first?”

“What do you know?!” Azrael snapped at him.

“I don’t know much but that is because you make sure not to tell me too much about what happened.”

“I was stupid and got caught trying to plan to overthrow the elders. I reacted first and didn’t think but I wouldn’t give up anyone so they did that to me. They need to be stopped. We are so backwards! It’s an oppressive environment.”

“You sound like those humans,” Apollo snorted. “I always assumed most dragon clans were like that. You are always so cut off from the rest of society.”

“We prefer to only mingle with our own kind but some take it to a more extreme version,” Azrael muttered, wincing as he shifted on the bed. “What about you? Why are you living alone in the woods? I thought most upper level demons resided with family to carry on the line… or some crap like that.”

“Familial problems which are similar to your own.”

“You were accused of killing your mother?”

“Not quite,” Apollo commented with a chuckle and he let it drop, saying no more about the subject and Azrael didn’t ask. Glancing at the dragon when he winced again, he stood and returned with a cup. “Drink this. It will help with the pain again.”

“Is it that crap drink again?” Azrael muttered.

“Well it’s either this or suffer with the pain,” Apollo said dryly. “I’m sure you can handle it but I was only trying to be nice and offer you some relief from the constant pain.”

“Must you always be so passive aggressive?”

“Do you even know what that means?” Apollo asked with a raised brow.

“No, I don’t but that’s not the point.”

Huffing, Azrael grabbed the cup and reluctantly drank it. Making a face, he finished it and then thanked him underneath his breath. He hated this stuff but it did help his pain. The only thing was he didn’t want to ask what was in it. Azrael just had a feeling he might not like it so much then.

“I’ve been in an argument with my older brother for a long time and a century ago I finally had enough. I stay low because I want to avoid the conflict. My other brothers have fallen prey to him and I refuse to.”

“What is the point of telling me that?” Azrael demanded to know. “I refuse to just lay low and hide. I am not scared of them.”

“I’m trying to say you need to pick your battles,” he told him quietly. “Not taking the bait and staying low worked for me. I was on my own and couldn’t face him as I was. Now is a different story. If he finally found me I would be able to hold my own but a century ago I would not be able too.”

“I can handle myself. You don’t even know me,” Azrael growled.

“You are still only one person and I was simply implying that it might be best for you to hold back for now. If you had back-up that would be a different story but for now you are alone and have no way of getting back to the others you were working with.”

 

Azrael turned away. He had jumped ahead of the plan and ruined it all. This was why no one had come to his aide except Nya. Still, though he refused to say anything because he would not give them up. He had been the one stupid enough to act before thinking and he could take his punishment. Despite all of this, he had to go back and continue to fight.

The elders were getting dangerous. They had used a punishment that wasn’t practiced much anymore and would kill him if gotten the chance. His clan was afraid but the elders were on to them now. They had always known of their existence but with his attack he had brought more attention to their cause before they were ready.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Azrael said quietly as he lay down in the bed.

Glancing at the dragon, if Apollo didn’t know any better he would have to guess that Azrael was sulking. The body language and the tone said it all. Apparently his comment had struck a cord and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He was simply trying to give the dragon advice. He felt for him and didn’t want him to jump into something he was going to regret. Azrael needed to sit down and really consider why he wanted to continue this fight against his elders. Sometimes, it was easier to just wait it out or stay away.

He supposed it was the coward’s way out but Apollo had never been much of a fighter. His instinct was to protect himself and if it took running to do that then he was going to do just that. If he needed to fight then he would as well and he wanted Azrael to understand if he thought about things first, another option might present itself. Glancing over at the dragon in his bed, he checked on him later that night and paused when Azrael reached for him.

“I think I need my bandages rewrapped.”

Normally, Apollo would hit him for the demanding request because he had some issues with taking orders and this was especially true when it was coming from some brat teenage dragon but he could see he was depressed. A part of him almost regretted what he was seeing. He was only trying to warn him but if he wanted to do something stupid in the end he could not stop him and he would not. It wasn’t his place and nor did he want too.

“It looks like you attempted to scratch your back. What are you thinking, dragon? It’ll scar.”

“The scars will always be there, even after my wings grown back, so what does a few more scratches matter?”

“If I upset you with my earlier words I apologize but I wanted to warn you. Acting so hasty will do nothing but get you in trouble and if you want to take them down you need to bide your time.”

“It’s not as if anyone would miss me. I wasn’t very liked in the clan but I wanted to make sure that I could help take down the elders. I thought if I did then maybe I could be something and they wouldn’t look at me like the reject of my family.”

Azrael had been looked down upon since the day he was born. His mother had a hard pregnancy with him and then she died giving birth to him. It was considered a bad omen in his clan and he had always been the black sheep. Joining with the rebels had given him a purpose. He had something to fight for and he would take down the very people who claimed his birth was an omen, a dark cloud over the clan. However, he had acted hasty like the teenager Apollo said he was and ruined that for himself and everyone around him. Nya had been the only person to care about him in that place and in the end even she had turned against him.

Glancing at the male, Apollo sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch his shoulder. The reaction from the dragon was expected. He stiffened and then hissed at him, lashing out at the sudden touch. Growling he pinned the other male to the bed and then paused when he heard a pained hiss escape Azrael’s lips. “I forgot. I should apologize but I was simply defending myself after you tried to lash out at me.”

“You’re the one who touched me first,” he muttered as he pushed at Apollo. “Will you get off me? You’re going to reopen the wounds again.”

“I apologize,” Apollo said again as he pushed himself off Azrael. Watching the dragon roll over, he knew that this was depression. It was as plain as day. Placing his hand on his shoulder again, he was pleased when the dragon only stiffened this time and didn’t try to bite him. “Try to focus on getting yourself better. It will take a few weeks and focusing on your clan isn’t going to help anything.”

“Even when I heal it won’t matter. I have no wings. Can you imagine a dragon with no wings? It’s an almost laughable thought!”

Azrael wouldn’t cry so he just pulled the covers close and felt like the immature dragon that he knew he was.

“Saying things like that isn’t going to help matters and if it means anything, I never saw you with the dragon wings so I have nothing to compare the image too.”

Azrael had to snort. “Is that your idea of comfort?”

“I’m letting you stay in my home, eat my food, and sleep in my bed which goes against my normal reaction to just ignore every creature I come across unless I feel like killing and/or eating them so yes. This is, indeed, my idea of comfort.”

The dragon didn’t say anything and shrugged his hand off though it wasn’t a very big movement. Letting his hand drop, he left the room and then went outside for a moment, letting him fall back to sleep in his bed.

~*~

Azrael had to resist the urge to scratch. The wounds were itching badly and as they started to heal he wondered that they looked like. Chances were they were hideous and monstrous looking. It made him feel less like a dragon and he tried to fight the urge to kill himself. It was an outrageous reaction or at least some might think it was but he couldn’t help it. Flying was one of the best things in the world. It made you free and was an amazing feeling but he wouldn’t be able to experience such a thing for a long, long time and the re-growing process would be painful or at least so he had heard.

“If you tell me they don’t look that bad, I will claw your eyes out.”

“Don’t threaten those who show you hospitality.”

Snorting, Azrael shifted on the bed and winced as he moved. It still stung and the pain made him think and thinking wasn’t what he wanted to do right now.

“How much longer do you think it will be until it is fully healed?”

“It will be awhile, Azrael. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I just want it to be healed all ready. It really is none of your business.”

Apollo lifted a brow. “Planning on going back?”

He shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know anymore. I want too because it is my home but now I wonder if I even joined that cause for the right reasons.”

“I’m sure you had good intentions. Sometimes, along the way, the reasons why we first did things become forgotten or muddled but they are always there if you look deep enough. You only need to find it again.”

“Why must you talk like that?” Azrael muttered as he turned away. “If I want to leave I will leave.”

“Then go, damn it. I’m not going to stop you.”

“Why are you so sounding so grumpy all of a sudden?” Azrael asked quietly, a little taken aback by Apollo’s sudden outburst.

“Dragon, it’s stupid to go back. You are still weak and even when your body heals you are not ready. The thing that will be ruling you is your anger and that never gets you anywhere. I nearly died when I attacked my brother.”

“I am not you!” Azrael snapped.

“I know that, dragon. You are too young and annoying to be like me,” he said wirily, trying not to smile when the dragon growled at him and then turned away.

“Why did you help me?”

“You’ve asked me that many times over the past few days and I just don’t know.”

“It’s because you pitied me. You say that before. That pity was a part of it.”

“If it was then what is the problem? You teenagers are much too prideful.”

Azrael huffed and stood. He went outside and had to go for a breath of fresh air. He didn’t walk far and sat near the man’s small home. It was quiet here and as he looked up he realized he felt envy for a bird. It was able to fly whenever it wanted and he was not. Wiping at his eyes, he realized that there were tears forming. It had always been drilled into his head that crying made a person weak but here he was sitting here, staring to cry. At least that damned demon wasn’t around to hear him.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around his shoulder. “Get off me-”

“Shut up or I will pin you to the ground again. I doubt you want the embarrassment of being pinned for a third time,” Apollo teased and then the smirk on his face faded. “It’s alright to cry.”

“I am no child! Don’t tell me things like that.” Azrael felt oddly calm but he still was tense. Comfort was not something he was good with and from the odd posture Apollo had he figured that it was the same for him. “I think you’ve spent too much time alone in the woods,” he muttered as he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Most likely. I guess that’s what happens when you shut yourself off from society and everyone around you.”

“Are you telling me not too? I thought you said going back was a bad idea.”

“Let yourself heal and stop worrying. Your wings or lack thereof will continue be a constant reminder but you need to try to work past that.”

“I need to get them back for what they’ve done to my family and to me. They must pay.”

Azrael thought briefly about his family and knew they wouldn’t even worry about him being gone. Since birth he had been ostracized from them. He was the one who had killed their mother and he should have been the one to die instead. She had been a powerful dragon and to be killed in childbirth by such a scrawny child was considered a bad omen among their elders. It had been a long and difficult pregnancy and never should’ve happened. His mother had many children and after his sister had been born, they didn’t plan to have any more.

The rest of his siblings had always resented him and his father hadn’t cared for him very much. The man just loved children and couldn’t kill an infant but as he got older, it seemed like it was easier and easier to dislike him. With the death of his mother hanging over his head, he had always been ostracized by many in the clan and especially the elders who had deemed his birth a mistake and a black cloud over everyone.

It had only seemed fitting that he join in with the rebels and had done so in a heartbeat. There he got to know Nya. He had seen her among the many clan members but she seemed to stay away from everyone. She became almost like a mother to him… no she became a mother to him. He had never had that figure before and became very attached to her. When he got caught, he wasn’t hurt when she didn’t step forward because no one wanted to be caught with the rebel group. They were deeply hated by the elders because they were going against what they had preached for years and they did not tolerate change.

He had gotten careless on his first task after begging to do something because he was sick of staying in the background and he had screwed it up. The punishment had been losing his wings and he could still recall the pain of them being ripped off of his back. He had screamed until he started to cough up blood. Thinking about him made him shudder almost violently and he closed his eyes, trying to push the images out of his mind. The elders had all stood there as he screamed and begged them to stop. To them, it was a fitting punishment for a betrayer who had brought nothing but shame to their clan.

Almost forgetting that Apollo was there, he wiped at his eyes again and tried his best not to cry. For most of his life he tried not to cry and ignored the feelings of sadness that bubbled up inside him when he thought of his family and his clan as well as everything that happened to him. Stiffening suddenly when he felt arms wrap around him, he tried to shrug him off but that only caused his shoulders and the healing wounds to ache so he was stuck with the demon hugging him.

“Get off me, Apollo. I am not some child who needs comfort,” he snapped at him.

“Be quiet and accept it. I’m sure this is something foreign to you and I am not trying to be smart. I merely assume from what I have gathered about your home life.”

“You know you know more about my life then I do yours,” Azrael muttered in annoyance, trying to change the subject and get his mind over the fact that he had been starting to cry a moment ago.

“What do you want to know?”

“Why are you in the middle of nowhere?”

“Like I’ve told you, my family name is well known and I grew up competing for the right to become the next heir. I never had any interest in it but did so out of respect for my father and mother. My oldest brother was named heir by default after my parents died because the need for the next head of our family couldn’t wait and… I had a falling out with him.”

“You’re not going to tell me are you?” Azrael grumbled.

He chuckled. “We had a disagreement and I got away before he could kill me, which is how we solve arguments in our family.”

Azrael snorted and made a motion with his hand for the demon to continue.

“I’m sure he’s been looking for me ever since but I have managed to stay out of his way for these past few centuries so I doubt he will find my anytime soon.”

“Aren’t you upset you were forced to leave your home?”

“I was at first but I am much happier here than I ever was living with my family.”

“You ran away though and never faced your problems. How can be even be happy living every day without getting back at your brother who I am sure hurt you badly since you refuse to tell me what happened!”

Apollo sighed and looked down at the fuming dragon. His response sounded typical of someone in their teenage years. It was quite easy to tell and he couldn’t help but chuckle though he did suppress it in the end. “You’re so young, Azrael. When you get older you’ll understand that revenge isn’t all there is to life.”

Growling, the dragon pulled away and turned to face Apollo. “It has nothing to do with my age! I simply realize that you can’t run away from some things in life and sometimes revenge is needed! Do you think that I should let those people get away with what they did to me?”

“Azrael when you are older…”

“Stop bringing up my age!” Azrael snapped, now feeling very irritated with the fact that the man kept bringing up his age and trying to treat him like he was some sort of child. He was going to show him he wasn’t a child and he didn’t care how he had to prove it to Apollo. “I am no child, Apollo and I will prove it to you,” he growled before closing the distance between them and kissing him hard.

He wasn’t sure why he kissed him of all things but he wanted to prove to him that he wasn’t some stupid child bent on revenge. Azrael knew he might’ve been considered young but he no child. The damned demon seemed to think that because he was a few centuries older than him, it gave him the right to call him a child. It didn’t and if this was how he was going to prove to him that he wasn’t a child then so be it.

About to pull away when the obviously shocked Apollo didn’t respond, he had a smirk playing on his lips but just as he had pulled away a fraction of an inch, Apollo yanked him back down and kissed him. There fangs clashed together and he felt them nipping at his lower lip. When he tasted a small amount of blood, he tried not to moan too loudly but with his acute hearing, Apollo was able to pick right up on that sound. After a few more moments, the demon released Azrael and he pushed himself away some, panting softly.

Azrael had never considered that he might kiss him back. He had been so focused on proving that he wasn’t a child, which he hadn’t really thought it through and now he felt like an idiot. “Why did you have to go ahead and kiss me like that?!”

“You’re the one who kissed me first of all.”

“I wanted to prove to you I was no child but you were never supposed to kiss back.”

Apollo stared and chuckled. “That is quite some logic you have there, Azrael but I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. If you never wanted me to respond then you should’ve never kissed me but I’ll tell you it was enjoyable but unnecessary. I don’t see you as a child in that light.”

He frowned and muttered something underneath his breath as the gist of what he said finally dawned on him. “Why do you see me as a child then?”

“Well to be honest it may just be your personality but the rushing head first into something without really thinking it through is what I was thinking about. Right now you can’t see anything but your revenge but if you give it time, you may think differently.”

“That has nothing to do with age. I just don’t think before I act,” he replied bluntly.

Apollo lifted a brow. “Good to know.”

“Can we forget any of this happened?” Azrael muttered as he stood, trying not to visibly winced as he stretched slightly.

“If you want to.”

About to think him, he let out a gasp when Apollo stood and kissed him for a second time. Feeling the male’s tongue slip into his mouth, he granted him permission and didn’t push away as he pulled him closer. When he started to feel himself getting aroused he tensed but ground his half hard erection against Apollo’s which caused the demon to growl loudly. The moment, however, was ruined when hands pressed against his bandaged wounds.

Pulling away, he growled softly and then shot Apollo a look.

“Sorry about that,” Apollo apologized before starting to walk back towards his small home, nodding for Azrael to follow. “We should get back. I doubt that any of your clan will find you all the way out here but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

With his erection faded, he nodded and followed Apollo back to the house. It was a small house but tolerable and he was finding it comforting to be here even though he would never admit that out loud. In a few weeks he would hopefully be better and able to travel. At this point, Azrael wanted to go back home. He had to do something and make sure the elders paid. To rid a dragon of its wing wasn’t something that should be done. Period. They would grow back in time but it was a painful experience that he never wanted to face but eventually he would have too.

Sitting on the bed, he found himself a bit flustered when he locked eyes with Apollo and huffed as he turned away. That was not how he wanted to prove that he was not a child. “Do you really think they will find me?”

“It’s a possibility. How well did you do at hiding your scent?”

“Fairly well!” he snapped and it was the truth. As he was running away he made sure to keep out of sight and get rid of any ways his clan might be able to find him.

“I was only making sure, Azrael.”

Huffing, he turned away and then nodded when the man asked if he wanted any dinner. Though he was getting better he was still weak but it was better than when he first got here. If Apollo hadn’t saved him that day, he probably wouldn’t be alive and it made him a bit uncomfortable to realize that he owed the man his life. It was strange and he had to at least make it up to him somehow. His pride wouldn’t allow him to just walk away and go get his revenge until he had made it up to Apollo.

The problem was that he didn’t know how to go about such a thing. Glancing at Apollo, he thanked him for the food and slowly started to eat, the demon sitting beside him as he ate his own meal. “Thanks for everything,” he finally managed to get out and when Apollo shot him a smile he huffed and turned away.

It was going to be harder than he thought it was to thank him properly and pay him back but he was going to do it no matter what.

~*~

Azrael caught a glimpse of his wings about a week after his little incident with Apollo and it had been a complete accident in his mind. The demon had been out hunting or doing something that would bring them their next meal when his bandages started itching and he sliced through the bandages as he was itching that hard. Cursing underneath his breath, he sighed and rummaged around for the bandages. When he finally found them, he had to stand in front of the mirror so he was doing it correctly. A part of him had done it because he was curious as to what he they looked like.

He had an image in his head about what it looked like and it wasn’t pleasant. Azrael tried to prepare himself before he looked and when he finally caught sight of where his wings once were, he froze. It looked worse than he thought it would and he stared for a long time. Eventually, he forced himself to look away and dropped the bandages as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Trembling he buried his face in his hands and tried to wipe that image out of his mind. He hadn’t been ready to seen it and Apollo had told him it would be best if he avoid looking at it because it might upset him after such a traumatic experience. He, however, had brushed him off like usual. In his mind, Apollo didn’t know what he was talking about and if he thought he was ready then he was ready but apparently he had been wrong. His back was a mess and to think his wings used to be there made his heart ache because it seemed impossible he would ever be able to fly again.

It was all those bastards’ fault and his trembling was partly because he was upset and slowly filling with anger. Shifting, he lifted his head and blinked a few times when he realized that he was crying. He hated crying and after crying the previous week, he promised himself he would never do it again but he supposed that was a childish thing to think and he hated being considered a child. 

Wiping his eyes on the back of his hand, he glanced in the mirror and swallowed when he caught sight of it again. Growling low in his throat, he grabbed something of the stand beside the bed and threw it at the mirror. It shattered and he turned his head to avoid getting hit by any of the shards but the desired result was what he wanted. Swallowing again, he wiped his eyes harder and sniffed. He couldn’t even be considered a dragon anymore. Without his wings he was nothing and he was disgusted with himself.

Digging his nails into palms, he felt the tears swelling in his eyes and when they started to spill down his cheeks he smelled Apollo nearby. Freezing, he cursed the bad timing the demon had. Why did he have to come in when he was in the middle of a breakdown? Wiping his eyes again, he turned his head when Apollo finally walked through the mirror and at first the demon didn’t seem to notice anything was off and he was pleased because he wanted to be left alone. Most dragons who had survived such attacks had killed themselves eventually. The emotional pain and their pride usually drove them to do such things. His kind was usually very prideful and the temptation was there even for him.

Suddenly, he doubted everything. He was weak and if he could let something like this happen, there was no way he could think to take down his elders. Shoving his wrist against his mouth, he bit down hard in order to stifle a sob and turned his head farther away from Apollo so he wouldn’t notice but it was only a matter of seconds before he did.

“Azrael I managed to get some rabbit. I am assuming dragons eat it?” he teased, frowning slightly as he stepped into the area of the small home that acted as his bedroom. Glancing in the corner, he noticed the small mirror he had in his home on the floor in pieces. It wasn’t hard to figure out it had been broken and when he glanced at Azrael he knew immediately that something was wrong because he was sitting hunched over on the bed with his head turned towards the wall as if he was refusing to look at him. “Azrael, what happened?”

“Of course dragons eat rabbit. It’s fine. Just hurry up and make it before I eat you!” he snapped and though it was full of anger he could detect the slight hitch in his breath which was a clear single to him that he was crying or, at the very least, upset.

“Azrael something happened. Did you… see your wounds?” he asked carefully. It wasn’t hard to piece things together when one thought of all the clues present and he hated the idea of Azrael seeing them. He had never gone through such a thing but he imaged it was devastating. Apollo wasn’t going to pretend he knew what he was going through, however, because he didn’t. He wasn’t that arrogant.

“Why would you say that?!” Azrael snapped.

“The mirror in broken.”

“There are other logical options,” he muttered as he turned to look at him and he seemed to forget that he was trying to avoid looking at him. When he realized what he had done he turned his head but the damage had been done because Apollo had gotten good enough of a look at his face.

Crouching down to gather the shards of glass, he turned to Azrael and sighed. He imagined if he tried to comfort the dragon he would get bitten but after throwing away the glass he had gathered he decided against his better judgment and came up behind him and pulled him close. He could feel him tense and it was partly because of the pain but he ignored it.

“Will you let me go? I don’t need your pitying comfort,” Azrael snapped at him.

“This isn’t pity, Azrael.”

“Then what is it?”

“Azrael I found that I tolerate you more than I thought I would and I want to attempt to make you feel better.”

“Who the hell would think that sentence would make me feel better?” Azrael growled softly, trying to pull away but he only held him tighter.

“I am just as stubborn as you if not worse because I’ve had more years to practice it,” he muttered to him, as he leaned close to the male’s slightly pointed ear so he could hear him better. “Tell me what happened. I can figure it out for myself but I’d rather hear it in your own words.”

“If you already then know then why make me tell you?! You sound like a sadistic bastard!”

“That’s not my intention, Azrael. I simply don’t want to infer about your feelings.”

“I saw what used to be my wings, okay?” Azrael snapped, his voice hitching as he tried desperately not think of it. “It’s disgusting. How can you even stand to look at it?”

“I won’t say it doesn’t look damaged but you faced a horrendous practice. No one is going to judge you for that, Azrael.”

“You don’t understand how dragons are. A dragon without wings is laughable and gets mocked, taunted, and ostracized from society. If I thought I was worse off before, I was wrong. My clan and others are going to view me as an even bigger disgrace.”

Apollo sighed. “I suppose you're right. I don’t understand how dragons are but demons can be the same. I may not have been born with a tail and things of that nature but some demons are and how do you think some will view them? It can be the same in any community.”

Azrael didn’t say anything, keeping his mouth shut as he seemed to unconsciously lean against Apollo. He wanted to smack the man because the last thing he wanted was to be comforted. He wasn’t used to it and because of that he didn’t want it. “There would really be no point in going back to get my so-called revenge. Nya might back me up but the others would laugh or refuse to work with me. They might even turn me in. It might put them at risk but I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“This was not how I wanted you to change your decision.”

He had a defeated air about him and that was the last thing Apollo wanted for Azrael. He wanted him to come to this sort of decision because it wasn’t the smartest thing to do at the moment. “Azrael, you’ll be okay.”

“How can you tell me I’ll be okay when I look like this?!”

“I don’t know. It seemed like the only thing to say.”

Snorting in disbelief, Azrael wiped the tears away again and had to let out a small laugh. “You’re an idiot if you think that could make me feel better by saying something like that.”

“I tried and you are laughing so don’t complain.”

“Get off me. I thought you got rabbit so why don’t you hurry up and make it.”

“Don’t order me around, dragon. You better not forget who the elder here is.”

“Apollo if you start that crap again I’ll…”

“Kiss me again?” Apollo smirked, letting Azrael go as he got off the bed. “Come out here and eat once I’m done.”

Nodding, Azrael watched him leave and then glanced down at where the mirror used to be. He was almost glad that it had been destroyed because the last thing he needed was to see that horrid sight again. This was when he knew that his revenge plan wasn’t going to work and it wasn’t right. He had to stay back and get his strength back and get stronger. At his current state he couldn’t take down anyone in his clan. If he attacked them the second he got better all he was going to do was get himself killed.

It annoyed him to think Apollo was right and as he watched the man cook, he was tempted to ask him something. Every morning, the demon got up early and went out to train. He had spied on him a few times and it had purely been because was curious as to what he did those mornings. He was fit and had to be powerful from the looks of it so he figured that once he was better, he could ask Apollo to train him. It was what he needed and he was prepared to fight for a yes and if he had to prove himself he would.

“Something wrong, Azrael?”

When Apollo noticed he was dazing out, he was mildly concerned and lifted a brow when he suddenly stood from the bed and walked into the area where he was cooking. “Yes?”

“Would you train me once I get better?”

Apollo was caught off guard and paused. “You want me to train you?”

He nodded. “I know you're more skilled then you let on. I’ve seen you train.”

“You’ve watched me?” he asked slyly.

“Get your mind out of the gutter!” Azrael spat angrily but the flush on his face was evident. “I want you to train me, Apollo.”

“No.”

Azrael stiffened. “Why?” he demanded to know.

“I don’t know if I’d be training you for the right reasons. If you can prove to me you want to learn for the right reasons then maybe I’ll consider it, but only if you can do that, Azrael.”

“I want to go back to my clan and prove them wrong but not until I get stronger. I understand that I can’t go back home yet and make them pay. I’m not strong enough and I don’t just mean physically… I want you to train me because it will teach me discipline.”

“Azrael, you are just telling me what I want to hear. However, I appreciate that. It shows determination. Maybe I’ll consider it but not until you have fully recovered.”

Huffing, Azrael felt like he was treating him like a child again but only somewhat. It did anger him and he wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted the demon to train him and he would be damned if he was going to let him get away with saying no. “Dinner ready yet?”

“Not yet.”

“You sure are taking your time,” he grumbled.

“Be patient, Azrael.”

“Bite me.”

“Gladly.”

Azrael only gave the demon a look.

~*~

Azrael lay on the bed, panting softly the next morning. He was on his side and pulling the covers closer to his chilled body as a shaky hand slowly emerged from the covers to push back some of his sweat slicked hair. Sometime during the night he had started to feel sick but he had ignored it. After hearing Apollo leave that morning to do his usual training, he fell back to sleep but woke up again feeling hot and clammy all over. He hadn’t cleaned the wounds yesterday and might have cut them open when he sliced the bandages and touched the stumps. That was the only thing he could figure because the demon had been taking good care of them.

It had to be some type of infection and he was almost positive he had a fever. Shifting, he rolled onto his stomach and winced at the nausea that ran through his body. He wanted to just fall back to sleep but he felt so hot and cold at the same time, it was difficult. Rolling onto his side again, he cracked an eye open when he heard Apollo walking back up to the house. Pulling the covers over his slightly trembling form, he closed his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep but before he could, he felt a hand on his forehead.

“Do you feel sick, Azrael?”

“No,” the dragon croaked out even though he knew that Apollo didn’t believe him because it was more than obvious that he was sick. “Fine, I am but you don’t need me to tell you that!” he snapped at him.

“Roll over onto your back, okay? I want to check your wounds. The last thing we need is for you to get an infection even if the fever will fight it off.”

“Fever’s aren’t always good you know,” Azrael managed to rasp out as he rolled over onto his back. Wincing as he sliced through the bandages, he shifted and waited to see what he was going to say. When he failed to say anything, Azrael did start to feel a bit nervous because the silence was never a good thing. “Well?”

“They look a little redder but from what I can tell they don’t look infected. However, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t infected. It does look like you have a fever.”

Azrael rolled his eyes. “No shit,” he rasped out, yanking the covers over his head as the chills became worse. He was so tired and all he wanted to do was sleep.

“Azrael, I need to clean these out so pull the covers down and roll over onto your stomach.”

“I want to sleep,” he snapped.

“Azrael if I don’t clean these out they will get worse and the last thing I imagine that you want is to die.”

Muttering something underneath his breath, he rolled over onto his stomach and winced at the queasiness that ran through his trembling form. The pressure on his stomach made him want to get sick but he tried to ignore it and let Apollo do what he needed to do.

“Thank you, Azrael.”

Rolling his eyes again, Azrael buried his face in the pillow and winced as the demon cleaned out his wounds. It hurt and he bit down into his lower lip. These wounds had just started to heal and now he had to go and get an infection. He had no idea how he had gotten one and it pissed him off but the pain quickly drowned out any anger he felt. “Are you almost done?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Yes. I just need to bandage to you so can you sit up for me?”

He did as he was asked and once he had been bandaged again, he lay back down in the bed and yanked the covers close to him. Flinching as a hand pressed against his forehead, he glanced up at Apollo and tried to ignore the urge to bite him.

“You still feel pretty warm, Azrael. Try to get some rest and I’ll make you some tea. It will have some herbal medicine in it so it should bring down the fever pretty quickly.”

“Thank you… Apollo.”

Lifting a brow, he glanced over at Azrael and smirked slightly. He could see that it was difficult for the dragon to thank him because that was the sort of person he was but he didn’t mind. Azrael was stubborn but he had been like that when he had been his age. “I’ll be back. Try to rest up and don’t push yourself too hard or I will tie you to the bed.”

“Really?” Azrael asked and he flushed in embarrassment when Apollo flashed him a grin. “Go make me some tea!”

“Don’t order me around, Azrael,” he reminded him playfully as he walked off to make Azrael some medicine so the fever could go down quickly.

Huffing, he rolled onto his side and curled up underneath the covers. He would just focus on getting better now and hopefully this infection didn’t turn out to be that bad because it was the last thing he needed. Getting better was really the only thing he could do.

~*~

Apollo paused the second he stepped outside his door. Glancing around, he frowned but went about his business, still wary of his surroundings. Then, after a few minutes, he sighed. “If you think you are fooling anyone, Archer, then you are sadly mistaken.”

Wincing, the male named Archer finally stepped out from the shadows of the darkened forest and ducked his head. “I knew you could see me brother. I just didn’t quite know how to approach you.”

Before his brother even had a chance to blink, he pinned him to a tree, pressing his arm against his throat. “If Aries sent you here to kill me then he made a grave mistake because I can easy eliminate you, little brother but that really isn’t the issue. What I wanted to know was how did you find me? Aries has been looking for years.”

Coughing, he resisted the urge to push at Apollo and took the punishment he felt he deserved. “I-I finally got the nerve to leave home and have been looking everywhere for you. Finally, I stumbled across your scent yesterday. It was faint but I tracked it and it led me here.”

Apollo realized that since taking the dragon in, he had neglected a few things and that included masking his scent and his power signal. Keeping those hidden had kept his older brother from finding him but he had gotten sloppy. He was in no way blaming Azrael, however, because it wasn’t that stubborn dragon’s fault. “For all I know he sent you.”

“Brother, you know I would never do that to you!”

He pressed on his throat harder. “After the incident, you stood by and didn’t say one word. The same went for after I ran off. I never heard anything from you and you sided with him.”

“I was scared, Apollo!” he coughed out.

Finally letting him go, he watched his brother collapse onto the ground and then stepped back. “I want you to leave, Archer. I don’t care why you came and nor do I care what your intention is. I have a life here and I want no part of you or our brother. If you come back here, I will kill you so remember that.”

Standing up, he glanced at the small house and frowned as he sniffed the air. “Is that a dragon I smell? You managed to find yourself a dragon mate?”

“Archer, don’t talk about things you don’t understand. I want you to leave and don’t come back.”

“Brother, I need your help. Aries has gotten to out of control but… I won’t push you into this. I will be back though because you are our last hope.”

“I don’t care about our home or the fact that you are too weak to take on our brother. Leave and don’t show your face here again, understand me?”

“I will be back, brother. I know we hurt you but without your help, our brother is going to go insane.”

“Archer, he went insane a long time ago.”

~*~

Azrael was sure that he smelled something strange. He woke up from his fever induced sleep briefly and smelled another demon. It was similar to Apollo’s scent and that caused him to frown but he was so sleepy that he was starting to brush it off. However, it was somewhat concerning because there was another demon around that smelled like Apollo. From the smell, he didn’t think it was as powerful as the demon but still. He wondered if it could be that brother he had always talked about.

Falling back to sleep, he jumped up slightly when he heard a door slam. Lying back down, he cracked one eye open and looked over at where Apollo was. He couldn’t see his face but he knew that the man was angry from how tense he seemed from the back.

“Azrael, sit up and drink your tea.”

He noticed how emotionless the tone was and it sounded more firm than usual. Swallowing, he forced himself to sit up and then, with shaky hands, took the tea. “Did something happen while I was asleep?” he asked, as he took a sip of the tea, wrinkling his nose when he realized how bad it tasted. Resisting the urge to spit it out, he swallowed the mouthful and quickly drank the rest of it. Then he glanced up at Azrael as he held out the cup to him. “Well?”

“Why do you ask such a strange question?”

“I smelled someone earlier while you were outside. They smelled like you.”

Apollo sighed. “My brother came to visit me and I don’t wish to discuss this right now.”

About to protest, he growled as he was pushed to lie back down onto the bed. “I don’t like people keeping things from me.”

“Azrael this has nothing to do with you so shut up and sleep!”

Blinking, Azrael stared at the outburst and then muttered something underneath his breath as he rolled over onto his side. Pulling the covers back over him, he listened as Apollo walked back out of the house and left him alone again. Huffing, he winced as he felt the nausea suddenly come back but he didn’t feel as hot as before.

He knew that something had happened and the man was very upset about it. Azrael was very curious but he had to let it drop for now. In his time of staying here with the demon, he hadn’t raised his voice like that. He was usually very calm and collected. Sighing, he jumped when he felt the covers being tucked closer around him and grumbled something underneath his breath. It was a thank you but he said it so muffled that it didn’t really sound like one.

“You’re welcome,” Apollo chuckled before letting out a sigh of his own as Azrael fell into a fever induced sleep once again.

He would have to deal with his brother sooner or later. The thing was he felt that it was too soon.

~*~

“If you make me drink that again, I’ll bite you!” Azrael warned as he backed away on the bed.

It was three days later after the counter with Apollo’s brother and he was starting to feel a whole lot better. The fever down and he wasn’t so pale anymore but the demon insisted on him continuing to drink that herbal medicine he kept making which tasted disgusting. Azrael wasn’t one to be ungrateful but now that he felt better, he refused to drink it and the demon looked like he would force him if he had too.

“Azrael I don’t care how many times you insist you are better. You're still at risk for an infection until that wound heals completely and you need to cooperate with me. If you refuse to, I will make you drink this medicine if I have too.”

“You’re really pissing me off right now… and how many times do I have to tell you that I am fine?!”

“I thought you didn’t like it when I treated you like a brat?” Apollo asked coyly. 

“I don’t but it’s disgusting! If you had to drink that crap you’d be acting the same-”

Azrael’s ranting was muffled by the demon slamming his mouth over his own which effectively silenced anything else he wanted to say. Twitching, he decided he could play that game as well and buried his fingers in Apollo’s long, black hair and forced him down even farther, slipping his tongue into his mouth. Apparently, this didn’t seem to phase the demon and he felt him smirk against his lips and then slip a hand between their legs to cup him.

“Bastard. You’re playing dirty,” Azrael gasped out as he pulled away from the kiss to throw his head back, exposing his throat unconsciously to the demon, who let out a soft growl at the sight.

“You don’t seem to mind my playing dirty,” he murmured, his voice low and rumbling in his throat as squeezed the bulge in his hand.

“I thought you wanted to help me stay healthy,” he rasped out, torn between shoving Apollo away and pulling closer.

“I think that’s enough talking, Azrael.”

He could’ve said no but instead he pulled his head down, their lips and teeth smashing together but neither seemed to care, fangs nipping at his lower lips as he reached between them and struggled to push the offending garments out of the way. Azrael soon got so impatient and ended up ripping some of the fabric which caused the demon to chuckle.

“You make this situation humorous at the worst times.”

“That’s what everyone loves to hear,” Azrael snapped, gritting his teeth when he felt a hand on his erection. Suddenly growing quiet, he spread his legs and threw his head back. Feeling fangs on his neck, he didn’t think anything of it and dug his nails into his palms as the fangs scraped lightly over his jugular.

Quickly, their clothing was pulled or rather torn off between both sets of claws. Before he felt Apollo about to push into him, the demon seemed to pause. Azrael growled. “I’m not some fucking child you stupid demon!”

It seemed that was all Apollo needed to hear and then he slammed into him, causing Azrael to gasp and arch his back, digging his nails almost painfully into the demon’s back and creating welts in their wake. Letting out a growl as every thrust hit his prostate, he nearly howled when he finally came, the demon above him coming with a loud grunt. As Apollo collapsed beside him, Azrael looked over at him with a coy expression on his face. “Was that your idea of trying to make me take the medicine?”

The only response he got as a look and then being yanked up. Gasping as he was suddenly forced onto the man’s lap and then his erection. He growled but when the demon snapped his hips up he seemingly forgot about his protesting. One arm wrapped around him, he didn’t seem to notice when something pressed against his lips and gagged at the scent. “You don’t give up do you?!”

“No I don’t. So take your medicine Azrael or I won’t give you what you want.”

Huffing, he turned his head away from the medicine and bit down hard on his bottom lip as Apollo lightly bit down on his neck and snapped his hips again. Swallowing, he stubbornly grunted and turned his head away even further. Refusing to take the medicine, he kept on telling the demon no until he was a panting, withering mess.

“Will you take the medicine?”

“Fine!”

Finally giving in, he drank the bitter tasting medicine and nearly jumped when the cup was carelessly thrown away from the two of them. Before he even had a chance to comprehend the demon’s actions, he was shoved onto his knees, Apollo pound into him hard from behind. Digging his claws into the fabric of the bed, and certainly destroying some of it, he reached down to grasp his own erection. For a second time that morning he came, growling as he did so.

Behind him, Apollo snapped his hips and came with a nearly-silent grunt. A few moments later the two of them lay there, panting softly and then, realizing what had happened, the dragon rolled over and glared at Apollo.

“Giving me medicine in such a manner was a dirty trick!”

“I did it on a whim but next time I think I’ll try that because it seems to be pretty effective,” he said with a small grin.

“If you ever try to give me medicine like that again-”

For a second time that day, his words were cut off by a pair of lips but before it could get any further Azrael pushed him away firmly by the shoulders. “If you even think about doing that again I’ll… I’ll…”

Apollo laughed.

He really wasn’t taking the threat seriously.

~*~

Azrael took the medicine without a fuss the next morning and the next and the next. When he asked Apollo how his wounds were looking, the demon told him it was healing nicely and he was pleased with that answer. He wanted to look at it but the last time he had seen his back, he had broken down crying. The thought made him shudder and he felt sick to his stomach as he thought of the way his back looked.

“So I’m getting better?”

“Yes, Azrael but if you want me to say it’s okay for you to run off back home don’t hold your breath.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to do that,” he snapped. “I told you I wanted you to train me. Will you?”

“We’ll see once you’re fully healed.”

Huffing, Azrael glanced out the window and thought about the incident when he had smelled that strange person outside there with Apollo. He had asked him about it once or twice since then and every time he tried, the man became angry so he tried to usually let it drop but it still bothered him. However, it didn’t bother him as much as it did when Apollo kept brushing off the training question. He wanted to become stronger but Azrael felt like the better he became, the more scared he felt. It was embarrassing and something he would never admit out loud but what was left for him back there?

Revenge would get him nowhere and a few dragons had been able to let go of their pride and stay behind but not always. Even Nya who had professed to be like a mother to him was in fear and had chosen that instead of him. No one had come to his rescue and no one had stood up for him.

“Something wrong?” Apollo asked as he started to bandage Azrael’s back again. The dragon was broken out of his daze and shook his head quickly. “No, I’m fine.” he insisted, sighing as he glanced out the window and he could’ve sworn he saw someone. After a moment or two he did feel something and looked over at Apollo who had tensed some.

“It’s that same energy I felt last time. Will you tell me who it is?”

“Just stay in here, Azrael it does not concern you. My brother is simply insistent on getting my help.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes.”

Staring, Azrael swallowed and wondered if it was the brother he had told him about all those weeks ago. “Is it…”

“No not him. It’s my younger brother. It appears he didn’t take my threat seriously.”

“If he needs help…”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”

“Maybe if you tried to open up to me!” Azrael snapped as he stood from the bed. “One minute you’re treating me with such concern but if I dare to try to find anything about you, you snap!”

Apollo backed off and grew quiet before exiting the house. Growling, Azrael wasn’t one to listen to people who had acted in such a way but when the energy vanished within the next moment, he figured Apollo had taken care of it. “I take it your brother left?”

“Yes,” Apollo said simply, sitting on the edge of the bed as he glanced at Azrael who looked like he was ready to pout. He had to chuckle. Despite how many times he tried to insist that he wasn’t a child, he sometimes had moments where he acted typical for his age. “My eldest brother is becoming unstable with his power and my youngest brother tracked me down in hopes of me helping him.”

“You refused?” Azrael asked in slight surprise. “If he came out all this way to help don’t you think you should hear him out?”

“I did and I decided against it.”

“How did he even find you anyway?”

“I’ve neglected hiding my scent for the past few weeks,” he said as he looked over at Azrael who huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Why did you leave home?”

“My brother attacked me,” Apollo said after a long moment of silence. “He had always seemed to have a strange fascination with me and decided he would have me. After that, I left and I haven’t been back since. The only contact I’ve had with my family is with my brother this week but that is over and done with.”

“Your brother could find you…” Azrael argued but was cut off when Apollo assured him he couldn’t. He didn’t know what to say to the sudden admittance of what had happened back then with his brother. He felt bad for even prying now but Apollo kept that passive look on his face and no emotion seem to pass through him.

“Let’s move onto another subject shall we?”

“Like what?” Azrael asked warily.

“Your medicine.”

Growling, he backed off and shook his head. “I took it this morning so don’t even try to get me to take it again any time or soon or I promise I will bite you!”

Azrael figured that Apollo was only teasing him when he started chuckling and the dragon huffed and looked away again. Sometimes, he wanted to tear his throat out. The demon could be childish at times like this even though he had a tendency to accuse him of doing the same thing. “You still won’t answer my training question will you?”

“Azrael, you still want revenge.”

“I don’t even know what I want anymore. It seemed clear cut a few weeks ago but now it doesn’t and as difficult as it is without my wings, I don’t want to die. They need to pay but I’m only one person.”

“Running sometimes isn’t the best option.”

Azrael snorted. “You ran and you seem content.”

“You constantly like to point out how it was a coward thing for me to do, remember dragon?”

Frowning, he shrugged and averted his gaze. “Are you happy with your decision?”

“Yes, I still am but are you?” Apollo countered. “It may seem like running away to you but I don’t want to get in some epic, to the death battle with my brother. If it happens it happens but I will not go looking for danger. I simply want to live my life peacefully.”

“What kind of demon are you?”

“A strange one apparently.”

“Being treated like trash from day one has driven me to fight back, but now I don’t know if I can.”

“Then don’t.”

Azrael didn’t know if it was that simple.

~*~

It would be a long, long time before his wings even started to grow back and when they did, it would be an extremely painful process but Azrael hoped he would be mentally prepared for that when it happened. Looking at the healed wounds, the scars and the stumps made him sick but not like it had the first time he had seen it. It also didn’t feel him with rage. Anger was there but it was a testament to what he had been though.

These elders who had forced fear into his clan had done this because he spoke up and as much as he wanted revenge, he was one dragon. Being able to stir up a group and encourage people to join him had never been a strongpoint of his but he didn’t know if he could let it go either. Going back would be a death wish and he wondered if he would really be able to do such a thing.

The clan might figure him dead by now because it had been so long. They probably assumed he had succumbed to his wounds and an animal had eaten him or something akin to that horrible thought. He hadn’t asked the demon to train him for a while now. When he first arrived here all he could think about was revenge but now, it wasn’t so simple. He had let the training drop because he knew Apollo had no intention of doing such a thing.

“I’m going back,” Azrael announced the night Apollo took the bandages off for good. “I’ll mask my scent so they won’t know I’m coming.”

“What then, Azrael?” Apollo snapped and Azrael was a bit taken aback by the sudden anger. “Do you expect everyone to band together with you and take down your elders? If they didn’t do it before, they won’t do it now.”

“I need to at least go back. I won’t be able to unless see the state my clan is in, Apollo. I’m not saying I’m going to start some sort of uprising but I need to go back and figure out the state I left them in.”

“It’s your decision, Azrael. I could stop you if I could and I want to so fucking bad but I won’t,” the demon growled, grabbing Azrael and kissing him hard which caused the dragon to snarl but it was a sound of desire and not one of anger.

“Why don’t you then?” Azrael shot back.

“You’re not my mate, Azrael. I have no claim to you.”

Pausing, Azrael swallowed and thought about his words carefully. “Demons mate similar to dragons I assume.”

Apollo glanced at him and quirked a brow.

“You know, mate for life and that kind of crap,” he snapped and then he got sick of it all and couldn’t handle it anymore. “Do you want me to stay, Apollo? If you do fucking speak up now and stop beating around the damn bush. I want to stay with you! You were an asshole in the beginning but I like it here and I don’t have to worry-”

He was cut off, naturally by a kiss and though it made him shudder and pull the demon closer as his tongue swept into his mouth, he growled when he realized he had been silenced again. “I hate it when you do that.”

“It’s a good way to quiet you,” Apollo said with a small smirk.

Azrael didn’t know if he ever intended to leave. He wanted to see how his clan was and see Nya of all people but maybe in a way he was testing the damned demon. He wanted to stay as strange as that was. Apollo had told him he thought about leaving him out there that day because he just didn’t care and it made him nearly attack the demon but when it came down to it he did help him. Apollo was many things but he had helped him and the dragon didn’t think it was running away.

There were still problems with his clan and the issues of Apollo’s brother which he had finally told him all about. However, for the time being he could look past that.

“Stop teasing me, damn it!” Azrael snapped, sinking his fangs lightly into the man’s shoulder as a warning that he wasn’t going to take teasing without a fight.

Chuckling, Apollo responded by squeezing the hardened cock and slowly pushing into the dragon. “Is that what you wanted?” he asked, whispering to the dragon, who only made a loud sound and wrapped his legs around his waist.

The sounds of growls and grunts filled the small house as Apollo thrust into Azrael who was clawing his back almost violently. Hissing loudly as he felt his climax coming, he pulled Apollo down for a kiss, their fangs banging together as the two of them finally came together.

“I like angry sex with you,” Apollo commented as the two of them tried to catch their breath. Then, after a few moments, he paused and leaned closer to Azrael, sniffing him.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“You should’ve told me you were fertile.”

“I happen to be a breeder so what of it?”

“Azrael you have a weak but second scent coming off you.”

The dragon shook his head. “If you’re telling me I’m carrying your demon spawn, I will kill you.”

“Kill me then because you are.”

“Damn demon!”

Things had gotten more complicated but hopefully Azrael, with Apollo’s help, could navigate through the tough times ahead.


End file.
